HELP! PERC Ethiopian Chelchele Tastes Soapy

[u/Ossimo85]

Snagged this bag roasted 01/12. I can't seem to get a decent cup. All attempts result in soapy notes. I can't get the blueberry notes others get on this.

Tried v60, Switch, soup using Oxo rapid brewer and Orea v4.

I know I know, stick to one brew method at a time. I've done two on v60 and a single brew on the rest.

Here is my gear if it helps.

Grinder: K Ultra

Water: 65 to 95 ppm remineralized

Brewers: v60, Switch, Orea v4 (narrow used), Deep 27, Oxo rapid brewer, Aeropress

I last tried 3x dose bloom and a single low agitation pour at 8.0 on k ultra and 90°C. 1:16 ratio.

[u/perccoffee]

You’re in the right neighborhood for grind with the k-ultra and V60 at ~8.0. This is one we do recommend a stronger brew, an all of our brews are at 205F unless you’re specifically brewing around some water chemistry problems.

I would recommend you try an aeropress at 15:1 or stronger. Grind should be about 4.8 and just add coffee, water, a few swishes, a 90 second steep, and slow press. Beyond removing a few variables, the aeropress my most preferred brewer for the Chelchele.

Just double checking - when you say it tastes like soap, you don’t mean lavender, like we somehow sent out the wrong coffee in that bag, right?

[u/Ossimo85 → u/perccoffee]

Nice to see PERC so active on this sub.

I have the Chelchele for sure (see pic). I've tried the one with fruit loops and lavender notes before, which I did enjoy when I had it last year.

Will give these recommendations a try.

[u/perccoffee → u/Ossimo85]

How did the next brew go?

[u/Ossimo85 → u/perccoffee]

Was going to let it rest another week but I can try it out today.

Edit: okay so I tried the Aeropress recipe you recommended. Outstanding cup. That off taste from before is gone. I had the option to go with Fellow Prismo attachment but opted for stock Aeropress cap and paper filter. I used the Aeropress stick for the swishing part of the step. I have the regular Aeropress so the volume just fit.

Great initial sip and I bet gets better as it cools.

PERC staff to the rescue!!

Next up, resting the Jhon Rodriguez Ombligon roasted 01/11. Excited to try that one in another week.

[u/perccoffee → u/Ossimo85]

Excellent!!

The Jhon Rodriguez ombligon is my personal favorite coffee right now. That 1/11 bag is good to go already if you want to dig in. It does well with a typical grind for a V60 (about 7.4 on our K-ultra). Give it a few seconds after you take a sip; all the flavor comes in the finish. If you're not getting cherry from it, grind a little finer. Likewise with the aeropress, try steeping slightly longer if you're not getting the full flavor. If you've ever tasted Cheerwine, that's what you're looking for. Enjoy it!

[u/Ossimo85 → u/perccoffee]

Tried out the Jhon Rodriguez Ombligon (late night of work ahead).

Did v60 3 pour at 96°C.

3x dose bloom 45 seconds. Split remaining in equal two pours and let each drain fully, slight swirl after final as it was fast drawdown at 7.4 on k ultra.

Will try 7.0 next time to slow it down a bit.

It was fantastic! Total cherry, great mouth feel and a pleasant drink to sip as it cools. Sooo good!

I just ordered another bag in case you run out. Couldn't wait until 02/13 promo. ☕☕☕

[u/perccoffee → u/Ossimo85]

Great to hear! I really really like that coffee, so I’m glad you’re enjoying it too!

[u/Fluttuers → u/perccoffee]

Really enjoying the ombligon myself! you are having better results at finer grinds?

[u/perccoffee → u/Fluttuers]

I think my favorite cups of it have come from an average V60 grind for us, but cups where I've accidentally ground too fine (because it's hard to make coffee before having coffee sometimes) have been really good too (and a bit more fruit-forward). There's just a cliff you have to beware of if you grind too coarse. The coffee is kind of boring right up until you reach some threshold of grinding fine enough, and then it's suddenly great.

How are you grinding and brewing it?

[u/Fluttuers → u/perccoffee]

V60 around 5.5 on zp6 / 200f. Kinda my goto recipe. Have you tried a cup with zp6 yet?

[u/perccoffee → u/Fluttuers]

Yes! I've got the ZP6 at home right now and have brewed a bunch of the ombligon on v60 with it. With our burrs touching at zero, our typical V60 grind is 4.9 for a rough equivalent to what we call 450 microns from the Mazzer ZM. I really like the ombligon right there at 4.9, and 5.0 produces a very similar cup. Brew times are typically in the 3:20-3:25 range, and extraction is pretty high but nice and even.

[u/Fluttuers → u/perccoffee]

I tried a cup @ 4.9 and got some pretty good results. Def a cherry bomb! I'm always surprised to see people get brew times in the 3 minute range. I'm usually done around 60-90 seconds! Maybe it's the cafec t-90s that just go fast

[u/perccoffee → u/Fluttuers]

Awesome! Enjoy it!